


Crash Landing/Salvage

by yolk_sac



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Gem Egg Hell, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-17
Updated: 2016-03-17
Packaged: 2018-05-27 05:23:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6271444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yolk_sac/pseuds/yolk_sac
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>earth sucks</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Crash Landing

Peridot braced for impact as her escape pod approached Earth. Everything had gone so terribly wrong. She was supposed to go to the kindergarten to check on the cluster and deposit her eggs but Jasper had other plans. This was all was her fault, the damn headstrong bastard! She deserved the beating she got on the ship.

The escape pod bounced off the earth a few times before rolling to a stop. It was a rough landing, but she made it. She was okay. Peridot emerged, unsteady on her feet like a newborn deer. She was shaken up – literally and figuratively – and she felt severely ill. A million thoughts ran through her mind: Where was she? What happened to the ship? What happened to _Jasper_? And most importantly, were her babies okay?

She placed both hands on her abdomen. She was just starting to show. Luckily, the rebels didn't seem to notice. Peridot held her breath and pushed a finger into her stomach to try to elicit a response from her babies. Nothing. Peridot wasn't surprised, she never felt them move before and was certain they wouldn't move until they were a bit bigger. Still, some reassurance would have been nice. All she could do now was wait. Only time would tell if the crash had killed them. She was praying that it didn't.

The adrenaline that had been numbing Peridot's pain had worn off, alerting her to what felt like a fracture in her upper leg. She pushed the ache to the back of her mind. She could tend to her wounds later. Her main priority now was running far, far away. The rebels could be looking for her, after all, and the last thing she wanted was for them to find her in this state. She would have to abandon her escape pod – they could easily track it. Peridot would have to find safety on foot.

–

Peridot had never been more scared in her life. She was all alone on a strange planet, encumbered by a broken leg and a heavy womb. It was dark on Earth and all Peridot could see was the path directly in front of her, illuminated by her gem. She limped forward on all fours, keeping a steady pace. She was afraid to look back, lest the rebels were behind her. Her body was screaming for rest but her mind was telling her that if she stopped for a second she would be as good as dead. It wasn't a rational thought, but rationality left her when she decided to keep her babies. Now, instinct steered the ship.

Plant matter was dense in this area, and if Peridot were in no rush, she would have stopped to examine it. The trees were tall and dense with leaves. What little moonlight there was couldn't penetrate through. Carefully, Peridot stepped over the uneven roots covering the ground. Her eyes were focused downward as she crawled her way through the underbrush. Because of this, she didn't see the vines dead ahead of her, and became ensnared.

She thrashed and attempted to tear herself free with her teeth, but she was too weak. Panting heavy, she collapsed on the forest floor. _This was it_ , she thought. She was done for. She'd die here, all alone, with nobody knowing where she was or what happened to her. She not only failed Homeworld, but she failed herself and her babies, too. Her gem light flickered out as she lost consciousness, defeated.

–

Sunlight shafted down through the canopy, rousing birds from their nests. Their calls echoed throughout the forest as they took flight, unaware of what had transpired the previous night. Peridot blinked open her eyes. Confusion reigned supreme as she regained consciousness. She wasn't dead? She focused on the vines wrapped around her body. It was daylight now, and she could see well enough to untangle herself from them.

Once she was free, Peridot attempted to rise to her feet, only to crumple under her own weight. Her leg. She had forgotten all about it. Peridot winced as she hoisted her leg up to examine it. Her thigh was noticeably swollen beneath her clothes. She tore away her leggings to reveal severe bruising, her green skin now mottled with blue and black splotches. Luckily, there were no puncture wounds. She would be okay, she reassured herself. She would survive.

“The kindergarten,” she breathed to herself upon remembering her babies, “I have to find the kindergarten.” Peridot called up her screen. The terminal at the kindergarten was still sending out signals, despite the rebels' interference. She'd be able to follow these signals all the way to the kindergarten. It was a long way, but she was determined. She patted her stomach before rising on all fours, her injured leg slack.

Nothing was going according to plan, but she could roll with the punches. For her babies' sake.

 


	2. Salvage

How long had it been? Peridot nearly lost all track of time. Her growing belly was the only thing keeping her grounded in reality. For weeks she'd been waiting, waiting for her eggs to come so she could lay them and get off this planet.

They weren't coming any time soon.

She knew her plan was a failure from the second she crash landed on Earth. Hell, she knew it on the ship, but she didn't want to come to terms with it then. She was too connected to these babies to just leave them without a mother. She couldn't go back. What did this mean for her future? Was she destined to huddle under a broken injector for the rest of her life, raising her babies alone in the cold in such a desolate wasteland?

Maybe she could salvage parts from the wreck. Maybe she could find somewhere safe. Maybe – just maybe – she could reunite with Jasper. But first, she'd have to come out of hiding. There was no doubt the rebels were still looking for her. Jasper had told her stories about them and their savage ways. There was no way they'd let a Homeworld-aligned gem run free on their precious Earth.

Tentatively, Peridot poked her head out of her makeshift den. It was a chilly day on Earth and Peridot's clothes weren't suited for such weather. The rips and tears in her jumpsuit didn't help. Bracing for the cold, Peridot hobbled out into the open. Her first task was retrieving her limb enhancers: she had abandoned them at the Kindergarten control center. They were too heavy for her anymore, her form weakened by her condition. However, she could still use them for scrap.

The trek back to the control center was not a pleasant one. She would have set up her den closer but she knew that was too predicable. She approached the entry point and peered down the hole. Such a steep drop! Peridot swallowed hard. She knew she wouldn't be able to climb back out if she were to slide down. In frustration, she pounded on the ground with her fists. The noise echoed throughout the canyon, sending a flock of crows scattering to the skies.

Peridot lied on the ground in resignation. Nothing was going right for her. She was kidding herself if she thought she could make do on this planet alone. Peridot was about to scream and cry when her ears pricked at a noise in the distance. She wasn't alone. These footsteps were heavier than the local fauna's. She was in the presence of humans – or worse, gems. On all fours, she slinked back through the shadows, trying her hardest not to make any noise.

Light flooded in from around the corner, a group of gems trailing behind it. It was them. The rebels. Peridot gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. How did they find her? She shook with fear. They'd be able to sense her, no doubt. They'd kill her and her babies on the spot. She beelined for shelter under an injector. It wasn't the best hiding spot, but it was all she could manage for now. She held her breath as one of them approached.

It was the small one – the Steven. Peridot found him to be the least threatening of the bunch. Still, her heart was pounding. One wrong move and her and her babies would be as good as gone. She shook fervently, her teeth chattering. _Please_ , she thought to herself as he neared the injector, _please don't hurt us._

Steven got down on his hands and knees to peer under the injector. He blinked slowly upon making eye contact with Peridot.

All she could do was cry.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she extended her hands in front of her to tell the boy to come no closer. She clamped her eyes shut, bracing for the worst. A spear to the gem. A lash from a whip. A heavy-handed punch right to her gut.

“Are you okay?” he asked, “you look like you're hurt.” Peridot cracked open one eye. The Steven was just standing there, offering her his hand. “Come out, I won't hurt you.”

Peridot knew from what Jasper told her that this could all be a trick. He could simply be feigning kindness to lure her out. That's when the rebels would come out from hiding and slay her where she stood.

“Come on,” he repeated, moving closer. “Are you worried about the gems? I won't let them hurt you, either. And if they try?” he tapped on his gem with his other hand. “I'll protect you.”

Peridot flattened her ears. Jasper said not to trust them. But without her here, what other option was there? She'd perish eventually, whether it was by the hand of the rebels or by the hostile nature of this planet. Alone she was as good as carrion. Her best chance of survival – and the survival of her babies – was with this boy. She grabbed his hand, using it as leverage to hoist her lame leg from the ground.

“You're really hurt, huh,” he remarked, scanning her from head to toe as she emerged from underneath the injector. His eyes lingered at her midsection and she could _feel_ him judging her. She was definitely showing now, there was no denying it.

“I know what you're thinking,” she began, her face burning with shame. “I'm pregnant. About four months.” Peridot expected an expression of disgust, a disparaging comment about how _wrong_ it was. Instead, the boy gave her a sympathetic nod and grasped her hand tighter. A small gesture, but it meant the world to her. If only Jasper would have shown her such solicitude.

The silence was interrupted by the remaining rebels charging their way towards the two. Peridot gasped, shielding her eyes from the onslaught that was surely bound to commence. She prayed that the boy was true to his word. She prayed that she made the right choice in trusting him.

“Stop!” Steven stepped in front of Peridot, shielding her with his body, arms extended out. “Don't hurt her! She's harmless!” he glanced back at her. “She's pregnant.”

Pearl skidded to a halt. “ _Pregnant_?” She could tell just by inspecting her form that this gem wasn't lying. But how? But _why_? She pointed her spear in Peridot's direction. “Don't try anything,” she growled and thrust it forward slightly, making Peridot flinch. For a pearl, this one sure was assertive.

The fusion made her way to the front of the pack, pushing Pearl aside. Peridot swallowed hard. This one was the most intimidating out of the four. Her size and status as a fusion marked her as a force not to be reckoned with. She examined Peridot, her expression unreadable behind her opaque shades.

“What do we do with her?” the Amethyst asked.

“We take her home.”


End file.
